Shotgun projectile having slits



June 23, 1964 E. J. MEYER ETAL SHOTGUN PROJECTILEZ HAVING SLITS Filed Nov. 13, 1962 FIG.

Ear/ J Meyer Romano E Meyer ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,138,102 SHOTGUN PROJECTILE HAVING SLITS Earl J. Meyer and Romond F. Meyer, both of Rte. 1, Wabasha, Minn. Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 236,923 2 Claims. (Cl. 102-925) This invention relates to projectiles and more particularly to an improved projectile for use in a cartridge which is particularly useful in smooth bore shotguns.

At present the shot or pellets which are fired from shotgun cartridges normally travel at a relatively 'slow speed and consequently have a small inertia and penetrating force beyond a specified range. Where a solid nose projectile is used in a shotgun cartridge so as to increase the inertia and therefore the impact and shock on an animal, it normally makes a relatively smooth puncture and consequently produces a correspondingly small concussion and shock.

In order to remedy these two conditions, rifle bullets have been made with a hollow point to produce mushrooming of the projectile after it strikes its target, thus producing greater mutilation of an animal and thereby having a greater stopping power. In certain instances, rifle bullets also have been made wherein slots were formed in the nose of the bullet so as to assist in producing a mushrooming effect when the bullet hit a target.

An object of the present inventionis to provide an improved projectile for use in a shotgun cartridge.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved shotgun projectile which will travel along the desired trajectory to its target and have a controlled break-up after striking the target.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved projectile which will remain intact during its flight to a target and Will have a controlled break-up into separate missiles in the internals of an animal, providing greatly increased concussion, shock, and mutilation, whereby the stopping and killing power of the shot is greatly augmented.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims appended to and forming a part of this specification.

In accordance with the present invention, a shotgun cartridge is made incorporating a projectile which is formed of relatively soft metal, such as lead or a lead alloy, having a hollow main body or base with a hollow point split nose, wherein the slots or slits in the nose are very narrow and are evenly circumferentially spaced so as to minimize possible distortions or unbalance of the bullet as a result of the concussion due to the exploding powder charge of the cartridge.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a shot gun cartridge including a projectile embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of ashotgun projectile made in accordance with the present invention and illustrates the projectile shown in section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the projectile shown in FIG. 2; and

3,138,102 Patented June 23, 1964 ice FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the controlled break-up effect of a projectile, such as that shown in FIGS. 1-3, as it strikes a target.

Referring to the drawing, an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated of the improved projectile for use in a conventional shotgun bullet. The projectile 10 is in the form of a single piece of metal which is adapted to be fired from a smooth bore shotgun. This projectile 10 is adapted to be mounted in a cartridge for any of the conventional guage shotguns, which cartridge may comprise a substantially cylindrical shell 11 of paper, with a reinforcing metal cap 12 over the end of the shell adapted to contain a charge of powder 13. This metal cap 12 also iprovides for conveniently mounting a firing cap 14 of any conventional type. The projectile 10 is mounted in the shell 11 and separated from the powder charge 13 by suitable conventional wadding 15 and is held in this position by a paper face plate 16 which may be secured in position by a crimped edge 17 around the open end of the paper shell 11.

The improved projectile 10 preferably is formed of a isoft metal, such as lead or a lead alloy, and includes a main body 18 and a tapered or curved nose 19. The nose 19 is adapted to be split into any desired number of segments by relatively thin slits 20 which extend substantially throughout the length of the nose. In addition, the central part of the nose is hollowed out, as indicated at 21, and this hollow preferably extends substantially to the base of the slits 20. This combination of a hollow point split nose projectile formed of relatively soft metal provides for a minimum deformation of the nose of the projectile when the charge of powder 13 is fired.

In addition to the improved configuration of the nose of the projectile, the body 18 is formed with a hollow 22 extending from the base thereof to near the base of the nose of the projectile. This, together with the nose formation, will cause the projectile to break upon impact with a target, as shown in FIG. 4, breaks 23 starting along the slits 20 and progressing throughout the body length of the projectile. In this manner the projectile travels 'as a single unit to the target, where, upon impact, it breaks up into a controlled number of missiles which greatly increase the concussion, shock, and mutilation of the target and produces a much higher stopping and killing power than is obtainable by a solid or a mushrooming bullet. The hollow body of the projectile makes it a relatively thin-walled unit which readily breaks up into the separate parts which travel in different directions into the target, as indicated by the arrows 24.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not to be limited to the particular details disclosed, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A shotgun projectile made entirely of soft metal and having a substantially cylindrical body and a tapered nose with a hollow extending axially from the base of the body toward said nose to substantially the base of said tapered nose and forming a relatively thin-walled body, said nose having an axial recess in the center thereof forming a hollow nose, and said nose also having a plud V rality of narrow slits extending radially therethrough from said recess to the outer surface of said nose and longitudinally for substantially the entire length of said nose to said cylindrical body.

' 2. A shotgun projectile formed of soft metal and having a substantially cylindrical body and a tapered nose with a hollow extending axially from the base of the body toward said nose to substantially the base of said tapered nose and forming a relatively thin-walled body,

said body having helical grooves in the outer surface thereof spaced circumferentially substantially evenly I around said body and extending longitudinally from the base. of said nose to short of the opposite end of said body, said nose having an axial recess in the center thereof forming a hollow nose, and said nose also having a plurality of narrow slits extending radially 'therethrough from said recess to the outer surface of said nose and longitudinally for substantially the entire length of said nose to said cylindrical body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A SHOTGUN PROJECTILE MADE ENTIRELY OF SOFT METAL AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL BODY AND A TAPERED NOSE WITH A HOLLOW EXTENDING AXIALLY FROM THE BASE OF THE BODY TOWARD SAID NOSE TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE BASE OF SAID TAPERED NOSE AND FORMING A RELATIVELY THIN-WALLED BODY, SAID NOSE HAVING AN AXIAL RECESS IN THE CENTER THEREOF FORMING A HOLLOW NOSE, AND SAID NOSE ALSO HAVING A PLURALITY OF NARROW SLITS EXTENDING RADIALLY THERETHROUGH FROM SAID RECESS TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID NOSE AND LONGITUDINALLY FOR SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID NOSE TO SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY. 